Daily Digest - Pitino & Pork

delve into Rick Pitino's financial literacy initiative at St. John's, Zach Lovett’s pork promotion at Iowa State, the launch of The Bobcat Exchange at Montana State, and WSU’s competitive challenges with NIL.

Author

Jack M
November 09, 2023

Pitino leverages NIL for St. John’s Basketball

  • St. John's coach Rick Pitino actively engages with NIL, using it to revamp the team and educate players on financial literacy with the help of alumni like Jim Riley.

  • The team has established NIL collectives, including Storm Marketing and The Flat Top Fund, to financially support the basketball program.

  • Pitino emphasizes the importance of financial

    knowledge, having taken the team to the New York Stock Exchange and hosting talks on investment, savings, and the power of compounding.

Zach Lovett all in on Pork

  • Iowa State linebacker Zach Lovett joins teammates in promoting Iowa's pork industry through the "Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon" campaign, amid a challenging year for pork producers.

  • The initiative, tied to the athletes' NIL deals, has gained over 2.6 million views on social media and includes significant donations of pork to food pantries in the players' names.

  • The IPPA reinforces the campaign with a $10,000 donation of pork, aligning with their commitment to fighting food insecurity and supporting the local pork industry.

The Bobcat Exchange for Montana State Athletics

  • Montana State Athletics has partnered with INFLCR to launch The Bobcat Exchange, a platform helping student-athletes engage in NIL opportunities.

  • The exchange allows businesses and individuals to directly initiate NIL deals with Montana State student-athletes, streamlining the process of endorsements and partnerships.

  • The service is complemented by INFLCR's content delivery system, which provides athletes with media to enhance their online presence, along with analytics to track engagement.

Washington State playing from behind with NIL

  • WSU coach Jake Dickert expresses concern that the team isn't competitive in aspects of NIL, with other schools notably outpacing WSU's NIL deals.

  • Dickert emphasizes the importance of NIL funding in recruiting and retaining talent, especially with the impending opening of the football transfer portal.

  • The Cougar Collective, WSU's NIL collective, is nearing its current fundraising goal, indicating a push to bolster resources for high school player development and to encourage athletes to stay at WSU.